Health Communication Campaigns and Behavioural Change: Assessing the Impact of ESUT Health Week Campaigns on Students’ Hygiene Practices

Health communication campaigns within tertiary institution communities represent a critical intervention point for promoting preventive health behaviours among young adults who may be newly independent from family health supervision. This study assessed the impact of ESUT annual health week communication campaigns on students' personal hygiene practices, with particular attention to handwashing, sanitation, and malaria prevention behaviours. The study was anchored on the Health Belief Model, which posits that an individual's likelihood of adopting a health behaviour is determined by perceived susceptibility, severity, benefits, barriers, and cues to action. A pre-test/post-test quasi-experimental design was employed, targeting a population of 5,200 students at ESUT's Enugu campus. A sample of 360 respondents was divided into experimental and control groups, and structured behavioural observation checklists and self-report questionnaires were used for data collection. Findings indicated a statistically significant improvement in handwashing frequency and malaria prevention practices among students in the experimental group who received structured health campaign messages, compared to control group respondents. However, the duration of behavioural change was limited, with most respondents reverting to pre-campaign habits within six weeks. Campaign message clarity, source credibility, and peer reinforcement were identified as the strongest predictors of sustained behavioural adoption. The study concluded that ESUT's health communication campaigns produce short-term but not sustained behavioural change, necessitating more consistent and integrated communication strategies. It was recommended that health campaigns be embedded within a year-round communication calendar supported by peer health ambassadors.
Keywords: health communication, behavioural change, hygiene practices, ESUT, health belief model